Infinite Stratos: Competent Ichika
by Fear's Blade
Summary: We all know the lovely story of Infinite Stratos. Ichika Orimura is the only male capable of piloting an IS in the world. The only problem is that he is completely and utterly dense. Girls from his childhood and girls he just met try to gain his affection, but he's way too dense to notice it. What if he was actually competent? How would that change his adventures at the IS Academy?
1. First Day

**Good First Impressions**

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><p>P.S. <em>'Text in Italic are thoughts of a person'<em>

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><p>In the world's only IS Academy, Ichika Orimura, the only male IS pilot alive, was jotting down some notes. It was the beginning of a new school year, and Ichika's first year at the IS Academy. If he was going to be: 1. The world's only male IS pilot, and 2. Studying at a prestigious academy made for the sole purpose of training IS pilots, then he would need to know what is expected of him and what the lessons will be based on. As the assistant homeroom teacher, Maya Yamada, was introducing herself and the school to the first years, Ichika payed close attention and made sure he understood everything he was told, which was considerably hard since his classmates and teachers were ALL FEMALE and staring at him.<p>

Ichika looked over to his left; he sat front and center in the class, and coincidentally, his childhood friend, Houki Shinonono, was sitting on the front row all the way to the left. He hadn't seen or talked to her for 6 years now, but he could tell it was her. She had a very distinct style, and he could make the connection from what she looked like then, and what she looks like now. After she caught his gaze, he waved to her, but she just turned away. Ichika was slightly confused. _'Did I do something?'_ After Yamada-sensei finished explaining the purpose of the academy, she had everyone introduce themselves in alphabetical order. After at least half of the class introduced themselves, it was Ichika's turn.

"Ichika Orimura," Yamada-sensei called. Ichika took a deep breath and stood up out of his chair. Putting a genuine smile on his face, he spoke in a calm tone, glancing over to Houki.

"I am Ichika Orimura. I hope that the year goes smoothly and that we can all get along as classmates." Ichika sat back down again, but not before the majority of the class swooned, including Yamada-sensei. The timing couldn't have been better, as right then was when the homeroom teacher walked in, and what a coincidence it was.

The thing you should know about Ichika is that he has an older sister named Chifuyu that won the first Mondo Grosso Championship. The Mondo Grosso is basically an IS Championship that pins the best pilots against one another. For a while after Ichika's kidnapping (from which he returned safely at the cost of Chifuyu's second Mondo Grosso win), Chifuyu barely came home to see Ichika.

Ichika looked with wide eyes as the homeroom teacher in front of him was his SISTER. _'Wait... My big sis, Chifuyu, that I haven't seen in forever, was a teacher here at the IS Academy the entire time?'. _Ichika shrugged to himself, _'Well at least that explains why I never see her back at home. She's always busy here.' _After Ichika was satisfied with the reason of why his sister would never come home, he opened his mouth to say, 'hey sis, long time no see', but caught himself. '_At the school, she probably goes by Orimura-sensei.'_

"Good morning Orimura-sensei," Ichika said in a respectful tone. Chifuyu momentarily halted, surprised, if not for a split second. She had not expected Ichika to actually act properly at school. Chifuyu quickly continued walking to cover up her surprise, but not without Ichika noticing. Before Ichika said anything else, Chifuyu turned to face the class and speak.

"I am your homeroom teacher, Chifuyu Orimura, but you are to address me as Orimura-sensei or ma'am. Your syllabus this year is to memorize all information regarding the IS and to master basic maneuvers. Do I make myself clear? Even if not, say yes ma'am!"

Immediately, the entire class, including Ichika, replied in unison, "Yes ma'am!"

Satisfied with the class's reply, Chifuyu dismissed the class for 20 minutes. Ichika was quite confused about this. _'_On their own, the entire classroom divided themselves into their own little groups of friends. Ichika was at his desk, going over the turn of events of the morning, when a shadow went over his desk. He looked up to find Houki looking at him, seemingly troubled. She turned her head away and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Can we talk?" Ichika smiled at the proposition and stood up and out of his chair.

"Of course we can." Ichika could swear he saw Houki's cheeks turn slightly red, but she turned and started walking before he could guarantee that he did, in fact, see Houki blushing. He started walking with Houki before he fell behind, but not before a few looks were given to him by other girls on the way out.

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><p>Houki and Ichika were up on the roof of the school, leaning on the rail and appreciating the beautiful view. At least that's what Ichika was doing, because Houki was too busy battling with inner conflicts to enjoy the view. Ichika noticed this, and decided to initiate a conversation.<p>

"It's been 6 years since we saw each other you know. It's great to see you again, Houki. Even after 6 years I recognized you right away." Ichika said with delight in his voice. This seemed to snap Houki out of her mental battle with herself as she turned towards Ichika. For the first time in 6 years, she looked him in the eyes, and he looked her in the eyes. Houki could feel the heat rushing to her face, so she turned her head away from him so he didn't notice. Houki chuckled.

"You really don't forget things, do you?" Ichika walked closer to Houki.

"Of course not, you are my childhood friend after all. Why would I ever forget one of my closest friends, even if it has been 6 years?"

"It _has_ been 6 years." Houki dawned on the realization. She wanted to say something to Ichika about missing him, but half of her disagreed so she stayed quiet. Just as Ichika opened his mouth to say something, the school's bell rang. It was time for both of them to go back to class. Houki's shoulders slumped: she wanted more time to catch up with Ichika, but apparently that was for another time. Ichika shrugged his shoulders and spoke to Houki.

"Well, I guess we should be getting back to class," Ichika held out his arm to Houki and asked, "shall we?"

Houki blushed furiously, wondering what she should do. After several seconds of battling with her thoughts, she finally decided on what to do. She looped her arm into his, although with a little hesitation, and placed her other hand on his arm. The heat on her cheeks was enough to cook an omelet on it, but she didn't let go. She committed to walking back to class with him. Ichika noticed Houki's blush and smiled. He had always like Houki, and he believed that this little sign of recognition would help him get back on track. Completely cutting off connection to a childhood friend for 6 years doesn't come without consequences.

Both Houki and Ichika walked back to class arm-in-arm, earning them a few envious glances from a few students. The stares may have been annoying, but Ichika didn't care. Although Houki found the stares a little uncomfortable, she toughed it up. Just because people were staring doesn't mean that she was going to let go.

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><p>After the lesson was over, Ichika put his notebook back into his bag and prepared to go find his room. Before he could even get out of his seat, a blond girl with the body of a model walked over to him. Her hair was long enough to reach her waist and she had bright blue eyes. A headband that matched her eyes held her hair back. Her uniform was much like the original school uniform, but the skirt was longer and was frilly at the ends. Ichika wondered who she was. <em>'By the looks of her, she's most likely British. Come to think of it, I remember there being a british representative contender in this class. Maybe this is her.' <em>Before Ichika could stand up and out of his seat, she spoke.

"Excuse me, can we talk?" Yep, definitely british. Ichika stood up and looked at her.

"Yes. What did you want to talk about miss..." He said, motioning towards her. After he did this, the girl seemed rather offended and gasped.

"How dare you?! Don't you know who I am? You should be grateful that I even bothered to come over here and talk to you, imbecile!" Ichika was surprised by her reaction and put up his hands in apology.

"Sorry. I didn't mean any offense to you." The girl exhaled sharply and looked at Ichika, obviously annoyed.

"I am Cecilia Alcott, the representative contender for Great Britain. I am an elite IS pilot, so treat me as one!" As she said this, she pointed to Ichika to put an emphasis on her words. Ichika was starting to get annoyed with this Cecilia Alcott girl. She was clearly arrogant and treated herself all "high and mighty". Ichika looked around the room: it was obvious that most of the girls in the room were focused on their little conversation, some of them disappointed that Cecilia was the one to go talk to him and not them. Ichika simply sighed and gave her the answer she wanted.

"Of course, Cecilia. What did you want to talk to me about?" Cecilia smiled a conceited smile and talked.

"Well, as a noble, it is my job to answer the lower level's question's. If you have any questions, then you can come to me. After all, I am the only one to defeat an instructor in an entrance exam." After Cecilia mentioned beating an instructor, Ichika smirked.

"Correction: Your the only FEMALE to defeat an instructor in an entrance exam." Cecilia froze at this, then suddenly turned to Ichika and looked him straight in the eyes.

"What!? You defeated an instructor? Impossible! Your just a boy!" Ichika held up his index finger.

"A boy that can pilot an IS." Cecilia huffed in annoyance and turned away from Ichika, who just picked up his bag and started walking out of the door.

"If you want to, we can continue this conversation later, but right now I need to find my room." Cecilia didn't reply as she walked back to her desk without a second glance.

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><p>After heading to the first-year dorms, Ichika looked at the paper in his hand. The piece of paper he had contained all of his information, including room number and student information. On the paper, it indicated that his room was room 1025. <em>'My room is number 1025? Did they get me a room to myself or did they get me a roommate to conserve rooms? Guess I'll find out.' <em>Ichika nodded to himself and headed to his room.

After making his way down numerous halls, Ichika found himself standing in front of room 1025. He was going to swipe his student ID, but saw that the door was unlocked, which could only mean one thing: He had a roommate. This proved to be a problem because aside from him, everybody else in the school was female. Ichika took a deep breath and entered into the room and called quietly.

"Hello?" No answer. Ichika walked into the room and found himself mesmerized.

The room was bigger than that of a regular hotel suite, housing two queen sized beds, a desk and kitchen that lined the entire wall adjacent to the beds, and separate shower room. The beds were neatly covered with white sheets and fluffy comforters, making the night's sleep most likely very enjoyable. A kitchen (fully stocked with cooking equipment, bowls, plates, cups, and eating utensils) lay off to the right side of the door, with a desk taking up the rest of the wall. By the beds, there was a full glass window, over looking the island that the academy was on. The room really was magnificent.

Ichika heard the muffled sound of water drops falling on tile to his left. The shower room was being used, and inside of that room was his roommate, his FEMALE roommate! Ichika started to freak out. _'My roommate, who is a girl, is taking a shower! What do I do, what do I DO!? If she walks out and I'm right here, then I'm done for! Maybe I should just come back in a few minutes and meet her when she's fully dressed. Yeah! That's good!' _It was then that the shower turned off. A few seconds later, the shower room door opened, causing Ichika to panic and fall onto the bed closest to him. When the girl walked out of the shower room, she wasn't looking in his direction because she was drying her hair with a towel.

"Oh hey, you must be my new roommate. Sorry to meet you like this, but I just took a shower." The girl was wearing only a towel around her torso, barely covering her cleavage and her mid-section. Ichika's throat seemed to shut itself closed when the girl started to look in his direction.

"My name is Houki Shinonono. I hope that we get along as roo-" Houki stopped mid-sentence as she saw her roommate.

"I-I-Ichika!?" Named person gulped.

_'Yep, I'm dead. I'm SO DEAD!'_


	2. Ichika's Roommate Complications

**Hey guys, Fear's Blade here. Sorry for the wait, but after Christmas and New Year's passed, I've finally been able to get back to the story. Thank you so much for your support from the first chapter. The reviews have been of SO much help. Because of you guys, I feel that I can improve my stories. If you read this chapter, please leave an honest review and tell me what you think. I am open for suggestions, so feel free to flame if you want to. Feedback is my goal here.**

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><p>Ichika stood there shocked, to find his childhood friend, Houki Shinonono, standing in front of him with nothing but a towel wrapping around her torso and hips.<p>

"I-I-Ichika!?" He gulped and nearly fell flat on his ass turning away.

"Houki!? What are _you _doing here?" Houki walked past Ichika, although not without Ichika noticing her extremely red cheeks.

"It's my room, what else would I be doing here?" Ichika was about to forget what she said, but then the realization dawned on him.

"WAIT! That means you and I are sharing the SAME ROOM!" Houki's expression went dark as she reached for a bokken sticking out of her bag. When she grasped the handle of it, Ichika realized that the smartest thing to do now would be to run. Ichika yelled and ran out of the room. The door closed behind Ichika. He leaned on the door, feeling safe, but only a few moments afterwards, the tip of the bokken broke through part of the door, half an inch from his right ear.

"AAAHH! Houki, what are you doing!?" Ichika yelled as the bokken repeatedly broke through the door in various places where Ichika's limbs once were. Had he not dodged Houki's strikes, he would have been a shish kabob right about now. After a final attack for the center of Ichika's back, the strikes stopped. Ichika fell to the floor nearly landing on his face. After catching himself, Ichika flipped himself around and yelled towards the room.

"Houki, are you crazy!? I would have been dead if I hadn't dodged that one!" It was only after his little dance with death that he notice a crowd of girls around him in the hall. One of the girls closest to him leaned down to look at him, then at the extremely broken door.

"Oh, so this is Orimura's room? That's a good thing to know, right girls?" The response was a chorus of giggles, sending multiple chills down Ichika's spine. He quickly scurried over to the door, hoping to persuade Houki to let him in and NOT kill him.

"Houki, Miss Houki, please let me in. This is getting bad right now. I apologize, so please let me in, PLEASE!" The last thing Ichika expected to happen was for the door to reveal Houki in a white kendo uniform. Once again, her hair was tied back into her long ponytail. Ichika hurriedly stood up and stepped inside as the door closed once again, although it didn't help much with all of the chunks missing from it.

Ichika stood there in front of Houki, who was still gripping the bokken in her hands.

"Thank you so much Houk-"

"Yeah whatever. So, you're my roommate. Look, if we're going to be living in the same room, we're going to need to set some ground rules." Houki walked over to the bed by the window and sat down. Ichika sighed to himself. _'Well, so much for sleeping on the bed next to the window'. _Ichika was pushed out of his thoughts by Houki as she seemed to have realized something.

"Wait... you...you..." Houki was looking down at the floor, trembling with rage. Ichika's eyes widened. _'Oh no. Did I do something? If I did, I'm DEAD!' _Houki looked back up and spoke._  
><em>

"You requested this room didn't you? You asked them to put us in this room together!"

"WHAT!?" Without warning, Houki jumped off the bed, bokken in hand, and swung down towards Ichika's head. If he hadn't put his hands up and catch the 'blade', then a serious concussion would have been in store for him. _'Jeez, what's with Houki? I know she's violent, but this is just crazy!' _Houki was growling, much like an angry tiger.

"I get it! You put us in this room! I get it! I GET IT!" Her face had contorted to an expression of blood shedding rage. Ichika was almost genuinely frightened. _'Oh no. Scary face. Scary face is not good!' _Ichika finally decided to speak up.

"No, I did not request this room! Why do you think I was surprised when I saw you?"

"Because I just got out of the shower!" Ichika realized his mistake. _'Damn it. I need to be careful with what I say when Houki is angry.'  
><em>

"Houki, you have to trust me! I did not request this room! Besides even if I did, the school would have said no!" At this, Houki seemed to relax and let off her attacks. Ichika was about to say something else, but decided that he's good with the situation at hand. He doesn't even know how his next words will affect Houki's reaction.

"Aww, and it was just starting to get good." Ichika looked over in the direction of the voice to find a few girls peeping in. Houki closed the door, and walked over to Ichika.

"Look, if we're going to be sleeping in the same room, then we're going to need to set some ground rules first. First, regarding shower usage hours, I'll use it between 7 and 8 pm, and you can use it from 8 to 9." Ichika relaxed. _'Well, at least she calmed down.' _

"That works. Although if possible, I'd like to use it earlier." At these words, Houki frowned.

"Are you asking me not to shower after my club activities?" Ichika's shoulders dropped as he sighed.

"No, I'm asking if I could use it from 6 to 7. I'd like to use the toilet in my own room. Wait... there are no toilets in these rooms are there?" Houki simply shook her head.

"Unfortunately not. Only restrooms at the end of each hall." Ichika sighed and propped up his chin with his hand in thought.

"You know. Whoever put me in this school ought to remember that it's an all girls school. I'm going to have to talk to Chifuyu about this." Houki pointed her bokken at Ichika, frowning.

"I see you've become quite the pervert while I've been away." Ichika sighed and pulled the bokken away from his cheek.

"You're mistaken. I'm still the same Ichika I was when you left. I still believe in the same morals, you know." At these words, Houki relaxed once again. Ichika sighed, _'Jeez, why is she so tense? Oh yeah, she just learned that she's going to be roommates with a long lost childhood friend of the opposite gender. Duh' _

**_oOo_**

The next morning, Ichika was the first to get up out of bed. His first sleep at the academy was very peaceful, the polar opposite of a few moment before they went to sleep. Ichika opened his eyes to find the sun's light shooting into the room in powerful rays. The first few seconds of light was a little too much, but after those seconds, Ichika was able to get out of bed and get ready for the day. In the bed opposite of him lay Houki. He had considered waking her up, but saw that she had set an alarm on her bedside night stand.

Ichika smiled at the still asleep Houki, recalling childhood memories of him and Houki. He was glad that she was his classmate and secretly, his roommate. Ichika went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a quick 3 minute shower, making sure to wash himself thoroughly. After he was finished and dressed, Ichika made a few last adjustments and looked in the bathroom mirror. At that moment, Houki's alarm went off blaring.

The sound greatly annoyed Ichika, so he walked over and turned it off. By then, Houki was barely awake and rubbing her eyes. Ichika smiled and sat on his bed.

"Good morning, Houki. Did you sleep well?" Houki stopped rubbing her eyes, and looked at Ichika. Suddenly, her cheeks turned a rosy color.

"Y-yeah, I slept fine." Ichika chuckled and stood up.

"Well then get ready. We have another day ahead of us." Houki sighed and pulled her covers off, revealing her black and white kendo dress. Ichika noted that she slept in her kendo dress, although he didn't know why. Ichika grabbed his bag and headed towards the door.

"I'll wait for you outside, Houki." As Ichika turned the handle of the door, he paused and looked at Houki.

"By the way, sorry about last night, I guess I should've knocked first." Houki looked back at Ichika, and after a few seconds, chuckled lightly.

"It's okay. Just make sure to knock first. I don't want a repeat." Ichika laughed and opened the door. Before closing it and waiting outside, Ichika replied to Houki.

"Don't worry. I'll be careful."


End file.
